The pizza giants are finding more and more uses for AI in 2026. Earlier this month, Little Caesars, the country’s third largest pizza chain, began letting customers use conversational AI to plan meals, get personalized recommendations and customize orders on ChatGPT. Next up: No. 4 Papa Johns and Lou AI.
Papa Johns debuted Lou AI today, calling it a “next-generation AI-powered pizza assistant” that’s available in brand’s app. The company said it’s designed to help customers choose the right mix of items for a group order.
Lou AI is the first AI-powered platform deployed through Google Cloud’s Food Ordering Agent that will equip Papa Johns “to usher in a new era of pizza ordering that is more personalized, intuitive and seamless.”
Ordering the right food for a group of people gets tricky when not everyone wants the same thing. Coming up with just the right volume and mix of items becomes a task that sends you back to the drawing board again and again.
Lou AI is built to break that cycle, according to Papa Johns. It serves as an “always-on digital concierge, anticipating group needs, adapting in real time and guiding customers to the right decisions.”
“Let’s say you’re hosting your kid’s birthday party,” said Kevin Vasconi, Papa Johns’ chief digital and technology officer. “The first order of business is always pizza. You want everyone to be happy, but how do you land on that perfect order? Lou AI is designed to take away this friction—so families and friends can spend less time deciding and more time enjoying being together.”
Instead of coordinating opinions, users simply describe the group and individual members’ preferences in plain language. Then Lou AI builds a personalized order that reflects everyone at the table. For example, a group might say:
- We have six people who need to order dinner
- One person is a vegetarian
- Two people want something besides pizza
- Three people are especially hungry and would like extra food
- Some people like extra cheese, others do not
Instead of sorting through menus or group chats, Lou AI turns that into a complete order in one step, suggesting a mix of pizzas, sides and sandwiches to satisfy everyone. The voice ordering experience is designed to feel more like talking through an order than building one, the company said.
“At Papa Johns, we’re using AI and personalization to bring back the feeling of being known, just like how you feel with your favorite bartender or barista,” Vasconi said.
Wondering about the name? The brand called it Lou AI to honor its roots in Louisville, Kentucky.
